The Harvard chapter of the American Association of University Professors sued the Trump administration on Friday to end its ongoing review of the University’s federal funding, alleging the review was coercive and unlawfully undermined academic freedom.
The complaint argued that the review was illegally “exploiting” Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination in federally funded institutions, to silence dissent on campus by putting more than $255 million in federal contracts and more than $8 billion in multi-year grants under review.
“Threats like these are an existential ‘gun to the head’ for a university,” read the suit, which was filed alongside a motion for a temporary restraining order. “They overtly seek to impose on Harvard University political views and policy preferences advanced by the Trump administration and commit the University to punishing disfavored speech.”
Earlier this month, the Trump administration demanded that Harvard eliminate all its diversity, equity, and inclusion programming and ban masks on campus to keep funds under review. Though the government’s letter demanded “immediate cooperation,” the University has yet to announce any developments in its negotiations with the White House.
The Harvard AAUP’s lawsuit is its latest legal challenge to President Donald Trump’s attack on higher education. Last month, the faculty group sued his administration over its arrests of noncitizen university affiliates for their association with pro-Palestine protests, arguing that the arrests violated their rights to hear from noncitizen students and professors.
https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/4/12/aaup-lawsuit-funding-review/
